Type 2 Diabetes is emerging as a disease affecting youth and there is a dearth of education materials for this population. This has driven the goal of my team to create an integrative multimedia game that empowers youth diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes to learn about their condition in a “fun” and interactive way. My team consists of Kylie Burdsall, Sylvie Howton, Teresa Liu, and me. Together we have developed a multi-level game within our application and, for my thesis, I built out Level One. Level One explains the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and how food choices, exercise, and the medication Metformin can impact the body when one has Type 2 Diabetes. This level is comprised of three short videos intermixed with questions, a food plate creation game that explains the glucose index of various foods, and a game where users work to eliminate glucose from the bloodstream using various power ups to bring down blood glucose levels. The elements of this application have been prototyped at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in the Type 2 Diabetes Clinic. We hope that this application can be used by patients recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes to better equip them with the skills and knowledge to manage and understand this disease.
